4K Apple TV release date, news and rumours: Here's all the latest info on the eagerly-awaited fifth-generation Apple TV, including details on specs, features and price in the UK, US and more.
(Update: September 12, 2017):Apple has confirmed its annual September launch event, and the latest leak seemingly confirms that a 4K Apple TV is on the agenda. Read on to find out more.
It's been nearly two years since the last version of Apple TV launched, and the tech world has changed a lot. We've seen booming sales of 4K televisions as consumers keenly guzzle Ultra HD content from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Video. The ailing Apple TV is starting to look a little fuddy-duddy.
But there's hope for Apple in the form of a 4K Apple TV, a long-rumoured device that finally seems set for a 2017 launch. Rumours are circulating wildly, and it's looking increasingly likely that a new version of the Apple TV is just around the corner.
The latest scoop comes to us from respected Apple developer Steve T-S, who has discovered a number of important Apple references of late.
AppleTV6,2, or 'Apple TV 4K' as it's officially called, has a three-core A10 Fusion CPU and 3GB RAM
4K Apple TV Release Date: When will wee see the Apple TV 5th gen?
Apple TV release dates are a little difficult to predict because unlike other flagship Apple products, new versions of the Apple TV don't launch on a yearly basis.
For starters, let's examine historical Apple TV launches:
Apple TV (1st gen): September 12, 2006 reveal | March 21, 2007 release
Apple TV (2nd gen): September 1, 2010 reveal | September, 2010 release
Apple TV (3rd gen): March 7, 2012 reveal | March 16, 2012 release
Apple TV (4th gen): September 9, 2015 reveal | October 26, 2015 release
Apple clearly tends towards September launch events, with the exception of the third-generation model. So if we were making a bet, we'd put money on its September 12 event.
We've also seen a four-year gap, a two-year gap, and a three-year gap between model launches, so it's possible that the next Apple TV may launch any time between now and September 2019 by those standards.
The next big indicator is that the third-generation Apple TV was pulled from stores in late 2016, and that 4K/HDR content has now started to turn up on iTunes.
Given the growing popularity of 4K TVs, we reckon 2017 is the year we'll finally see a 4K upgrade for the Apple TV. It's also almost certain to share an iPhone launch event – the iPhone 8, probably – so our best guesses for 4K Apple TV reveal would be Apple's September 12 event, and the release may be as follows:
4K Apple TV release: Friday, September 22 or Saturday, September 23
Feel free to disagree on Facebook and Twitter, and let us know when you think the new Apple TV will arrive instead.
4K Apple TV Features and Specs: All the news and rumours
The headline feature of the next Apple TV is almost certainly going to be its ability to stream content in 4K resolution.
We've already seen many reports suggesting as much, including one from Bloomberg, which notes that the box is under development by a team led by Timothy D Twerdhal, an Apple employee poached from his previous position as head of Amazon's Fire TV division. The report reads:
"Twerdhal's arrival comes as the company tests a new, fifth-generation Apple TV that it may release as soon as this year. Internally codenamed J105, the new box will be capable of streaming ultra-high-definition 4K and more vivid colours, according to people familiar with the plans."
The "vivid colours" bit seems to be a clear reference to the possibility of the next Apple TV supporting High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, which would provide visuals with a wider colour gamut and greater dynamic range (lights and darks).
Perhaps the best evidence that this will be the case is that Apple has recently started debuting 4K/HDR content on iTunes, which seems like a sensible precursor to launching a 4K Apple TV. It's also worth noting that popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Video already offer Ultra HD movies and TV shows.
We'd also expect to see more powerful processing, a possible storage boost (128GB, perhaps?), and better integration of Siri. One obvious Siri improvement would be to launch a fully-fledged Home ecosystem (based on HomeKit) on Apple TV, turning it into a HomePod-style device that can rival the Amazon Echo or Google Home.
Apple TV 4K Price: How much will the new Apple TV cost?
We haven't seen any 4K Apple TV pricing leaks, so all we have to go on is current Apple TV pricing, which breaks down as follows:
Apple TV (32GB): £139 / $149
Apple TV (64GB): £179 / $199
It's unlikely, however, that a 4K Apple TV would cost the same. It seems much more probable that Apple will hike the new model up and continue to sell the non-4K version for customers who don't need the added processing heft.
If we were to take a guess, we think something like £149 and £199 for 32/64GB variants respectively would make more sense. It would also seem appropriate to marginally reduce the price of the older models too, given that they've been around for a while.
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